How to Make Vegan Ham

Vegan ham is made by kneading vital wheat gluten with nutritional yeast, pineapple juice, soy sauce, maple syrup and smoked paprika into a firm dough, then simmering it in vegetable broth for around two hours until it sets. A pineapple, mustard and sugar glaze brushed on before a short bake gives it the sweet, smoky edge of traditional ham, all from ingredients most kitchens already stock.

Prep Time: 25 minutes                               Cooking Time: 2 Hours

The ingredients for 2 Vegan Hams (4 servings) are:

• 3 ½ Cups (about 420 g) of Gluten Flour for Seitan
• 1 ½ Cup (375 ml) of Water
• ¼ Cup (about 20 g) of Nutritional Yeast
• ½ Cup (125 ml) Pineapple Juice
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
• Vegetable Broth
• Smoked Salt
• 1 tsp Powdered Paprika
• 1 tbsp Dry Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Mustard
• 1 tsp Sugar

These are the steps to prepare this Vegan Ham:

• Start by mixing together in a bowl the gluten flour for seitan with the nutritional yeast and the paprika.
• Add a pinch of black pepper and then proceed to add all of the onion powder, for last, add the smoked salt.
• At this point add the Pineapple juice, the soy sauce and the maple syrup.
• Start to knead until you get a firm, moist dough.
• Cut the dough in half and place the two halves inside plumcake moulds to ensure they’ll retain their shape.
• Bring the vegetable broth to a boil and proceed to pour it over the dough in the mould, let the ham cook for about 2 hours.
• At this point, we can get the ham out of our mould, and we can place it over an oven dish, covered with baking paper. Carve some tiny holes in it using a toothpick.
• Now we can brush the ham with a mixture of pineapple juice, mustard and sugar, to ensure to give our ham plenty of taste, and cook it in the preheated oven at 356°F for about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Allow the ham to cool down, then slice it and serve it.

Frequently asked questions

What does vegan ham taste like?

This seitan-based ham has a smoky, slightly sweet flavour from the smoked salt, paprika and pineapple glaze, with a firm, sliceable texture similar to deli ham once it’s cooled.

Can I use a different flour instead of gluten flour?

Vital wheat gluten (the gluten flour used here) is what gives seitan its chewy, meat-like texture, so it isn’t easily swapped for a regular flour. Recipes built around other flours use a different method entirely.

How do you store vegan ham?

Once cooled, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or slice and freeze it for longer storage.

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